Many leaders practice active listening but still fail to create real understanding. Learn how true listening builds psychological safety and improves team performance.

Fifteen years ago, I was sitting in a conversation with a senior manager. Let’s call him M.W. He came to me with a sentence I have heard hundreds of times since. “We need a training. Can you help?” At that time, I was an in-house consultant, not an external advisor. That changed the dynamic of the conversation in subtle but important ways. I will come back to that later. But first, what came out of that sentence. Not a training. Instead, a fundamental redesign of the career model in the...

There is a moment I remember very clearly. In a meeting where we were discussing how to move forward, my client said something I had already known for a while. His co-managing director would stay. There was no option to override him. No realistic chance that the situation would change. In that moment, everything was clear. Two managing directors. One with a clear vision, a willingness to truly engage with change, and the courage to go through discomfort. The other not malicious, not actively...